Amgen
Inc. has been interested in acquiring Micromet
Inc. for a long time, and finally got the biotech to agree, six months
after the companies tested the waters with a discovery and development deal
using the smaller biotech's BiTE antibody technology.
The attraction for Amgen was a
Phase II compound with evidence of efficacy in a new indication, and the
prospect of applying its own capabilities and resources to expand the BiTE
platform to new areas. But according to Amgen EVP of R&D Roger Perlmutter,
Micromet wasn't biting - at least at first.